Section 4 — Married woman's right to prosecute
Texte légal (original thaï)
ในคดีอาญาซึ่งผู้เสียหายเป็นหญิงมีสามี หญิงนั้นมีสิทธิฟ้องคดีได้เอง โดยมิต้องได้รับอนุญาตของสามีก่อนภายใต้บังคับแห่งมาตรา ๕
(๒) สามีมีสิทธิฟ้องคดีอาญาแทนภริยาได้ ต่อเมื่อได้รับอนุญาตโดยชัดแจ้งจากภริยา
traduction anglaise
In a criminal case where the injured person is a married woman, that woman has the right to prosecute the case herself without first obtaining her husband's permission, subject to Section 5.
(2) The husband has the right to prosecute a criminal case on behalf of his wife only when he has been expressly authorized by the wife.
Cette traduction anglaise est fournie à titre indicatif uniquement et n'a pas encore été vérifiée de manière définitive ; référez-vous toujours à l'original thaï.
Annotation de l'entreprise
Section 4 sits among the general provisions on who may act as an injured person, alongside Sections 3, 5 and 6. It confirms a married woman's independent standing to prosecute, subject only to Section 5, and limits a husband to acting for his wife under an express authorization. Read together with Section 3, it defines one category of representative capacity, and courts treat the list of authorized representatives in Sections 4, 5 and 6 as closed.
Pourquoi cela est important en pratique
In practice, a wife does not need her husband's sign-off to press criminal charges, but a husband who wants to act for his wife should hold clear, express authority in writing. This matters most for compounding or settling, where courts have refused to treat a spouse's signature as a valid act for the other spouse without proper authority under Sections 4, 5 and 6.
Foire aux questions
Does a married woman need her husband's permission to file a criminal case in Thailand?
No. Under Section 4, a married woman who is the injured person may prosecute in her own name without her husband's prior consent, subject to Section 5.
Can a husband file a criminal case for his wife?
Only with her express authorization. Section 4 allows a husband to prosecute on his wife's behalf only when she has clearly authorized him to do so.